4 Podcasts to Creep You Out on Your Long Runs and 1 to Make You Laugh

In January 2015, I started training for my first half marathon. Seeing as it was a spring run (May) AND I live in western Canada (snow, snow, all the snow), I knew I would be logging plenty of treadmill miles. After the first few five mile dread-mill runs of my training season, I quickly learned that I would need something beyond my pump-up the jam playlist to keep me entertained. I was going to check out eBooks from my local library, but decided to see if podcasts were more my thing, as they would be shorter and serialized. Luckily, I stumbled upon an amazing true crime podcast and was hooked.

I love listening to podcasts while running because time flies faster than listening to the same 3:30 minute song on repeat (which I have been known to do). Also, I only allow myself to listen to podcasts while on the treadmill which a) gives me something to look forward to, and b) motivates me to run on days when I don’t want to because I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. My podcast preferences skew towards true crime, but I have a couple of added bonuses on this list, so stick it out.

This was the first podcast addiction. It helped me slog through those first few months of treadmill miles training for the San Diego half marathon. If you are a podcast newbie like I was, this is a great place to start. I became enthralled with the story of Hae Min Lee’s murder and Adnan Syed, along with the host, Sarah Koening. SOOO GOOD. I’ll be honest- season two of Serial just didn’t do it for me and I barely made it through the first few episodes. I’m (im)patiently waiting, hoping, and begging for a third season of Serial that gets back to it’s true crime roots.

Since I loved Serial, I thought I would love S-Town, which is brought to you by the same production team. This one is a little more narrative based, following the story of John B. McLemore, who contacts a staff member at This American Life to look into a possible murder and corruption in his small town, which he deems Shit-Town (hence the name of the podcast). The host, Bryan Reed, the host of the podcast, contacts John and eventually meets him. I fell in love with this quirky, offbeat man, and the mess of folks who make up his inner circle.

I discovered this podcast very late in the game. Since I’m a sucker for reading and listening to things in their intended order, I am still not caught up on this podcast (there are currently like a hundred episodes currently out, and I’m only on episode 49). I loved starting from the beginning and really getting to know Karen and Georgia, plus learning all their inside jokes with Steven, Elvis and Mimi. What I love about this podcast is the hosts’ chill, casual nature and the sweet laughs. Is is the most factual podcast? Oh, hells no. But it did educate me enough on serial killers to know the backstory of the ones featured on Mindhunter. (ALSO if you haven’t watched this, pleaaaaase do)

I spent the first few episodes, trying to figure out if I was a Karen or a Georgia (SPOILER ALERT: I am very much a Georgia). If you are wanting to know, take this badass Buzzfeed quiz.

Okay, okay, okay. I just finished this one on Sunday. Let me tell you, the build up still doesn’t prepare you for the ending. This one lives up to the hype. A fifty something woman meets a fifty something man on an online dating site. Sparks fly and it seems too good to be true. Well, it is. Manipulation, compulsive drug use, a brave ass dog – this one has everything. I am now left trying to fill the creepy void that this podcast has left behind. I have tons of treadmill runs ahead of me, so please shoot me your suggestions 🙂

Okay, so if you don’t want to be terrified or creeped out while running (especially on dark trails – yikers!) and prefer to laugh while sweating it out, this one is for you. Brave people read things they wrote when they were younger (hence the name of the podcast) – from diary entries to letters, schoolwork to blogs. If I were to dig up my angsty teen writing, I would be more likely to light it on fire than read it in public. It’s hilarious and embarrassing, and often downright cringe-worthy. But I love it

As an added bonus…

… here’s one podcast that has everything to do with running. Well, running with a side of life.

Kelly Roberts has become my running idol. I love her frank openness, her spirit, and her sweet jokes. As someone who started running later on in life and is not built like your “typical runner”, it is refreshing to hear from a “middle of the pack runner” instead of an elite athlete. Kelly had talked me through many rough runs and motivational slumps. She has encouraged me to set big scary goals. She essentially the reason I started writing this blog.

Well. There you have it. My list of creepy, sometimes funny, always entertaining podcasts which have gotten me through too many miles on the treadmill. What do you like? Share with me!